Imphal, Sep 4: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President JP Nadda today accorded a welcome to the five Janata Dal(United) MLAs of Manipur after they merged with the BJP.
The five MLAs are Khumukcham Joykisan Singh, MLA of Thangmeiband constituency, Ngursanglur Sanate, MLA from Tipaimikh constituency; Md Achab Uddin, MLA of Jiribam constituency; Thangjam Arunkumar, MLA of Wankhei constituency; and LM Khaute, MLA of Churachandpur constituency; were welcomed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), at the office of the BJP national President in New Delhi.
Md Abdul Nasir,a JD(U) MLA from Lilong constituency, became the lone JD(U) MLA in the 60-member assembly.
In a short video of welcoming the MLAs in a Facebook post today, Manipur Chief Minister Biren Singh wrote, "With great enthusiasm and joy, Shri JP Nadda Ji, Hon'ble BJP National President, heartily welcomes the Hon'ble MLAs, Shri Khumukcham Joykishan Singh, Shri Ngursanglur Sanate, Shri Md. Ashab Uddin, Shri Thangjam Arunkumar and Shri L. M. Khaute, members of the JD(U) legislature party merged into BJP recently, at his office today."
"Along with the 5 MLAs whose legislature party merged into the BJP, I was also joined by BJP Manipur Pradesh Prabhari, Shri Sambit Patra Ji, and Manipur Pradesh BJP President, Smt. A. Sharda Devi Ji," he added.
On Saturday, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh, along with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of Manipur Pradesh President A Sharda Devi, welcomed the five MLAs.
Five out of six JD(U) MLAs in Manipur merged with the BJP amidst the report that JD(U) had started its process to back out of the BJP-led coalition government in Manipur.
The Manipur Legislative Assembly speaker had accepted the merger of the five JD(U) legislators with the BJP Legislature party in the Manipur Legislative Assembly under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution of India.
With the merger, the BJP's strength in the house of 60 members reached 37.
In the last Manipur assembly elections, JD (U), which had first won a seat in the 2000 elections, improved its prospects by winning the highest ever tally of 6 seats.